BBC Review

While it would be crass to resort to journalistic cliche, Belle & Sebastian are too many that musical equivalent of what you put on your toast in the morning. And it all started with this, their debut. Originallty released in a limited format of 1000 vinyl albums, the songs of Stuart Murdoch here found full flight.

Many critics were won over by the band's lo-fi, shambling homeliness, while others could only see tweeness rearing its ugly head. The truth lies in between. The songs, couched in deceptively simple arrangements (and captured beautifully by ex-Associate, Alan Rankine) are actually deft, articulate tales of modern love.

Up until this point the band (which still contained Isobel Campbell) were fitting their music in between their day jobs. Such was the critical (and commercial) response to Tigermilk that they turned professional. Whether you love or hate them, this is where it all started.

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